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Trains collide near Dusseldorf, passengers trapped & injured (PHOTOS) Dozens injured, some seriously in train collision near Dusseldorf (PHOTOS)
(about 5 hours later)
A passenger and a freight train collided in Meerbusch in western Germany. People are trapped and injured. Emergency services are on scene, but rescue efforts are being hampered by a fallen power line. Dozens of people have been injured after a passenger train collided with a freight train near a station in the German town of Meerbusch.
There have been conflicting reports as to the number of injuries, with the police, as cited by the national broadcaster ARD, claimed there were up to 50 injured, while the Meerbusch fire department claims just five people have been injured but up to 150 passengers may still be trapped on board the train. Meanwhile German Rail has said 20 people were injured in the accident, reports RP Online.
Meerbusch is a town approximately 10km outside of the German city of Dusseldorf. The local fire department have shared some of the first images from the scene online, showing the extent of the damage sustained in the collision. The accident happened Tuesday evening at around 7:30pm on a Meerbusch-Osterath and Neuss railroad segment, when a passenger train, owned by private British operator National Express, collided with a freight train owned by Deutsche Bahn. The Express was on its way to Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The fire department reports that several people are still trapped on board the train as rescue services attempt to deactivate the power supply and safely remove all injured parties still left on board. Photos released by the Meerbusch fire department showed the passenger train derailed but still upright. A spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn told German news outlets the cargo train was stationary when the passenger train slammed into it.
The cause of the collision has yet to be determined. The spokesperson for the Meerbusch fire department would not confirm the extent of the injuries sustained until further information becomes available. The driver of the Express apparently noticed the cargo train, and hit the brakes, just before rushing out of the cabin to alert passengers to leave the front part of the train to avoid injuries. Seconds later the trains collided.
Firefighters from the nearby town of Kaarst are assisting in the rescue operation. “The driver noticed an obstacle on the open track and immediately initiated rapid braking. Then he left the cab and informed the passengers to move to the back of the train,” a spokesman for the National Express told the BILD.
The rear wagons of the freight train were empty. If these had been fully loaded, the crash would have been significantly worse. Locals living close to the train track reported hearing a powerful bang so loud that the windows at their homes shook.
It took hours for rescuers to free some 155 passengers stuck in the wreck. Meerbusch firefighters began pulling out passengers from the derailed train at 9:30pm local time, after finally gaining access to one of the entrances of the wrecked cars at 9:15pm. The rescue effort was complicated by a fallen power line “which posed a risk of electric shock to persons outside the train.”
“At the beginning of the mission, the rescue workers were unable to get close enough to the train to make an accurate assessment of the injuries,” the local fire department said in a statement. “At this stage of the mission, the rescuers focused on finding more seriously injured people in the wagons.”
By 11:45pm, authorities said “all injured persons are rescued from the train.” Some 20 minutes later, the local fire department confirmed that “all people have now left the train.”
While there have been conflicting reports as to the number of injuries, shortly before midnight, authorities announced that 41 were slightly injured in the crash. Another three people suffered moderate injuries while three others were seriously injured in the collision. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
Some of those slightly injured with bruises or abrasions were treated on the spot by rescue teams. Others were sent to a nearby medical facility.
“The rescue services on the ground have the situation under control. The injured people are gradually being transferred to hospital,” the fire department tweeted.